I am a passionate teacher I want all my students to learn, to benefit from the choices an education can bring. I know they are not all going to be scholars but so many of them are bright intelligent students who are using the excuse of 'I'm dumb' to justify their disinterest.
For a teacher it is hard to fathom why students who have so much offered to them can waste the opportunity of an education.
By choosing not to attend school or attending spasmodically they are literally thumbing their noses at an opportunity to have the skills to fight for the life they want for themselves. If the school only offered academic pathways I could understand the rebellion but our school offers trade, technical, hospitality, computer and academic pathways in a number of different formats. TAFE is only next door and traineeships, apprenticeships and other forms of learning are offered from Grade 10.
Parents do not enforce attendance and often make excuses for students who do not attend regularly. This is a problem across the spectrum of cultures and ethnicity but especially for our Indigenous students.
Time off for family events is acceptable but usually non attendance is the result of students who can't get out of bed in time or want to hang out with mates during the day.
There are numerous extra curricular activities that focus on indigenous and other cultural interests and an ever expanding litany of helps for literacy empowerment. Payment options for school textbooks are offered and not taken up so many students don't even have the basic tools necessary for learning. Others have the materials but don't bring them to school.
I know the jadedness that some indigenous people feel when dealing with a 'white' centred system but I'm stumped at what else we could possibly do. The school offers Indigenous studies, Indigenous history and many pathways for students to continue on into careers where they could work with their own culture as well as opportunities in other areas.
So what is the answer? I have no idea. I have spent most of this year teaching various genres of Indigenous literature and texts in year 8 & 9 and the majority of non attendees are Indigenous.
Contact with parents is almost impossible as many do not answer phone calls or return calls. Very few come to parent-teacher interviews despite arrangements for an indigenous community worker to be present if they wish.
